UGA top Princeton party school 2010; BYU stone cold sober again

The University of Georgia, where tailgaters trashed the campus last fall, topped the Princeton Review party school rankings for 2010. Jimmy Joe/Flickr photo.

Princeton Review party school rankings were issued Monday. This year, University of Georgia is the No. 1 on Princeton Review’s infamous party school list. University of Georgia officials pointed to how their school placed in the more acceptable categories published in Princeton Review college rankings. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Mormon school Brigham Young University topped the list of “stone-cold sober schools” for the 13th consecutive year.

UGA’s first time at the top of Princeton party school list

UGA has been a Princeton party school 10 times since the rankings were started in 1992. This is the first time the university has taken the top spot. The Associated Press reports that the UGA campus is surrounded by nearly 100 bars in tiny downtown Athens, Ga. Parties are part of student life from August to May each year. Many students gear up for the weekend on Thursdays and sometimes don’t rest until Monday morning. A UGA spokesman told AP that the list is not one the school wants to lead. He said he’d rather emphasize that in other Princeton Review college rankings, the school made the top 50 “Best Values” list and the “Green Honor Roll” of the most environmentally conscious campuses.

State universities perennial Princeton party schools

When the Princeton Review party school rankings were released, freshmen boys and girls bound for the University of Georgia probably got a little more excited, reports AOL News. State schools usually make up the bulk of the top 10 on the Princeton party school list, and 2010 is no exception. Ohio University in nearby Athens came in just behind UGA. Georgia beat out Pennsylvania State University, West Virginia University and University of Florida — which were the top Princeton party schools over the last three years.

UGA earns Princeton party school ranking

UGA topped the Princeton party school rankings despite launching several initiatives to curb student drinking and temper the school’s party image. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that the university has instituted tougher sanctions against students caught drinking, and it has tightened UGA tailgating rules for football game-days. UGA tailgaters trashed the historic North Campus following a September 2009 game, dumping about 70 tons of garbage. Some people urinated and defecated on buildings. And former athletic director Damon Evans resigned last month, shortly after his drunken driving arrest. Prior to that, Evans had appeared in university public service announcements urging people not to drink and drive.

Princeton Party Schools 2010

The Princeton Review party school rankings used student responses concerning alcohol and drug use, hours spent studying and the popularity of Greek life to rank the top 20 party schools:

1. University of Georgia 2. Ohio University, Athens 3. Pennsylvania State University 4. West Virginia University 5. University of Mississippi 6. The University of Texas, Austin 7. University of Florida 8. University of California, Santa Barbara 9. University of Iowa 10. DePauw University 11. Florida State University 12. University of Wisconsin, Madison 13. University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa 14. Sewanee — The University of the South 15. Indiana University, Bloomington 16. University of Colorado, Boulder 17. University of Missouri 18. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign 19. University of Maryland, College Park 20. Michigan State University